Leyden leads rebellion over Hanly report

Fianna Fail may have the beginning of another grassroots rebellion on its hands, following an extraordinary outburst against the Hanly Report, from a former junior minister.

Senator Terry Leyden yesterday announced in the Seanad, that he wanted the report on reform of the health services to be “rejected as quickly as possible”.

He said that €8 million had been allotted to the accident and emergency (A&E) department in Roscommon Hospital, and it was over his “dead body” that he would allow the unit to be closed.

Mr Leyden, a junior minister between 1987 and 1989, later set out his opposition to the Hanly Report in more detail to The Irish Examiner.

“I will resist the Hanly report in every possible way that I can. I will resist any downgrade of Roscommon county hospital.” He said that he recently spoke to Minister Micheal Martin about the report.

“My advice to the Minister was to note the report, and then reject it. It is highly aspirational, and seems to cater for a perfect world, where every road is like the M1 motorway from hospital to hospital, and helicopters are available.”

Roscommon Hospital may be one of 20 local hospitals, which will have their A&E and maternity services downgraded in a radical overhaul recommended by Hanly, that will see specialist services concentrated in major hospitals catering for catchments of over 350,000 people.

However, Minister Martin will not name the hospitals affected until after he receives reports on two pilot projects, that have been set up to test the Hanly recommendations.

In a political sense, that is buying the Government time until after the local elections next year. Several back bench Fianna Fail TDs told The Irish Examiner yesterday, that they would resist any major downgrade of their local hospitals.

However, one pilot already underway in the Mid-West, will result in the Ennis and Nenagh hospitals having restricted A&E opening hours, with major emergency cases being catered for in Limerick.

The reactions from councillors and TDs to the proposed changes were in stark contrast with each other. Clare TD Tony Killeen, and his Tipperary North colleague, Máire Hoctor, both put a brave face on it, and defended the changes.

They said that the A&E units in both hospitals would still cater for 70% of their existing workload, and would benefit from new services.

However, several councillors in Clare said the changes would do untold damage to Fianna Fail in next year’s local elections. Cllr Pat Daly, a member of the Mid western Health Board, said downgrading the service spelled political suicide for the party.